1	Webquests ---thinking, deciding & learning with the Web. “A Taste of Technology” Learning Technologies Professional Development St Joseph’s College- 2 August 2002
2	What is a WebQuest? An inquiry oriented activity in which all or some of the information the students react with comes from the Internet. Presents students with a challenging task, problem or scenario to solve. Scaffolds the learning process to enable higher level thinking. Requires students to do something with their information.
3	Why WebQuests? Engage students and increase motivation by involvement in real life problems and tasks. Provide opportunities for deep thinking. Students must transform information. A co-operative learning environment accommodates all learning styles.
4	Scaffolding Provides clear directions. Clarifies purpose. Keeps students on task. Offers assessment to clarify expectations. Points students to worthy sources. Reduces uncertainty, surprise & disappointment. Delivers efficiency. Creates momentum. Jamie McKenzie http://fno.org
5	WebQuests should contain at least:
6	Learning opportunities Through a well designed WebQuest students … Can examine the same resources from different perspectives. Have the opportunity to discuss and debate. Realise that responses to situations can vary. Can be asked to make decisions on situations not ordinarily encountered.
7	The Family Heirarchy WebQuest relations………….. Topic Hotlist Multimedia Scrapbook Subject Sampler Treasure Hunt WebQuest
8	Topic Hotlist A collection of Internet sites related to the topic. Can have description attached. Saves time and cost to students.
9	Multimedia Scrapbook Students have done some preliminary learning on the topic in class. Sites are organized around specific categories such as photographs, maps, stories, facts, quotations, sound clips, videos, virtual reality tours. Students download information into their own presentation ie brochure, Hyperstudio, web page. Enables them to collect information in various formats.
10	Treasure Hunt Is a collection of 10-15 Internet sites. Has a key focus question for examination of each web site. Defines the scope of the topic and provides opportunities to explore the breadth of the topic. Culminates with a “Big Question” that enables students to synthesize what they have learned into a broader understanding of the topic.
11	Subject Sampler Presents students with a few (5-6) intriguing Internet sites organised around a main topic. Engages students as Web sites chosen offer something interesting to do, read, or see. Requires students to respond with their own perspectives, experiences or interpretations. Is used to develop an understanding of the unit by giving students the freedom to explore and express their own views on the topic.
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